CPCC partners with Autobell to help students develop career skills
last modified
Mar 31, 2009 08:50 AM
Central Piedmont Community College’s (CPCC) Office of Career Services at the Cato Campus is pleased to partner with Autobell Car Wash, Inc., on an innovative project this spring that strives to equip CPCC undergraduate students with the career skills necessary to find employment.
Since the beginning of the semester, CPCC Career Services professionals have been assisting students with their interviewing techniques and résumé writing skills. Participants are learning how to write their résumé for optimal results, anticipate and answer some of the most difficult interview questions and communicate effectively with employers.
The timing of the project is ideal for CPCC students. The sessions are giving CPCC’s first year students a competitive edge as they prepare for the summer employment application process, and the College’s second year students are learning valuable techniques that will help them more easily enter the local workforce as full-time employees.
“This project seeks to alleviate the stress and worry that sometimes accompanies job seekers on their first job interview,” said Connie Johnson, a career counselor at CPCC’s Cato Campus. “At CPCC, we want to make the job search process as easy as possible on our students, with no hidden surprises. Thanks to Autobell, our valued community partner, CPCC will make great strides in accomplishing this goal and inch one step closer to becoming the leader in workforce development.”
The career training sessions will culminate on Thursday, April 9, when four representatives from Autobell – a recruiter, management training coordinator and two district managers – visit the CPCC Cato Campus to conduct in-class, mock interviews with the students. During the interview sessions, CPCC students will pretend they are interviewing for the new Autobell Internship Program, a unique program that gives undergraduate students a realistic understanding of what it means to run a business.
“A city is only as strong as its workforce,” said Carl Howard, chief operating officer for Autobell Car Wash, Inc. “CPCC’s project is giving our company the opportunity to give back to the local community, teaching aspiring professionals the skills they’ll need to be an effective employee in the workforce. During today’s changing economic times, it’s important to do everything possible to set people on the path to success; this program does that.”
Autobell Car Wash, Inc., is America’s third largest full-service, conveyor-operated car wash company with 55 units (and growing) in 26 North Carolina, 1 South Carolina, 2 Georgia and 4 Virginia cities and towns. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. For information about specific locations, visit us online at www.autobell.com or contact the Autobell recruiter. For more information on the Autobell Internship Program, please visit our website.
Central Piedmont Community College is the largest community college in North Carolina, offering close to 300 degree and certification programs, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes. CPCC is academically, financially and geographically accessible to all citizens of Mecklenburg County. In 2002, the National Alliance of Business named CPCC the Community College of the Year for its response to the workforce and technology needs of local employers and job seekers through innovative educational and training strategies.
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This release prepared by Mallory Benz, 704.330.6613. An archive of CPCC news releases is at http://www.cpcc.edu/college-news.
